Endless stories to tell

In the corner of O’Henry’s Coffees in downtown Homewood sits an empty round table with a single “Reserved” sign sitting on it. 

As the clock nears 9:30 a.m. on a Thursday, people start walking in, ordering drinks and sitting down at the empty table. Soon it is full of a group of old friends chatting and catching up. 

This group, called “The Has Beens,” has been meeting in this exact spot on the same day each week for nearly 25 years. Each Thursday at exactly 9:30 a.m., they all meet to drink coffee, talk and enjoy each other's company. 

The group consists of local television personalities such as Tom York as well as behind the scenes members such as Anne Bryant, the former program director at Channel 13, and Keith Williams, who worked in ads and sales for WBRC. 

“The Has Beens” are a group of ex-television journalists who all helped shape the TV news business in Birmingham during its start, Williams said. 

This unique group was formed by H. Lindy Martin, former dean of student services at Samford University and Wendell Harris, former news anchor and news director at Channel 13, after they both retired. 

Some past members of the group have included former Channel 6 news anchor Joe Langston, former WBRC news anchor Bill Bolen and local radio personality John Willoughby. 

There is not a set number of people that will show up any given Thursday, and there is also no set end time. 

“If we see somebody on the street that we knew 20 years ago, we invite them to come,” Bryant said.

“This is a group where everybody has a story to tell,” said Williams.“We talk about stuff that nobody else wants to hear.” 

Bryant jokingly said the only thing they do not talk about at these meetings is politics. 

The name for the group does not have any particular meaning other than that everybody in the group is themselves a has-been. “We are all has-beens. Never were,” said George H. Smith, another member. 

One of the longest-standing and key members of “The Has Beens” is former WBRC-TV personalityand The Tom York Morning Show host Tom York. 

“He is a legend,” said Williams about his friend. “He had the morning show for over 30 years. It actually got higher ratings than the national programs.” 

Another key member of the group is Jerry Levin, an active member almost since the beginning. Levins was the CNN Middle East Bureau chief in Beirut, Lebanon, and in 1984, he was captured and kept as a hostage for nearly a year. 

“I wish everybody could talk to him,” said Bryant. “He has the most interesting stories to tell.” 

Everybody in the group describes themselves as pioneers in a new industry. They all had to convince people that television was something worth investing in, according to Williams. 

Although none of them are currently active in local television, they still discuss current and past events in the industry. One of their favorite topics is former coworkers and things they used to do in the studio. 

The group has always met at the same O’Henry’s location on 18th Street South and there are no plans to stop the meetings anytime soon, according to the group. 

“This is a group that really has a story to tell,” said Williams. “[We were] all pioneers in the days of the growth of television and broadcast from 1949 when it first went on the air in Birmingham.”